Khanh's passion is combining traditional and modern music .

Unexpected harmony

Born in 1992, in a family with a tradition of performing arts, Khanh grew up surrounded by music and lyrics, so music came to him as naturally as breathing. In 2009, he began studying the monochord and the two-stringed fiddle at the Hue Academy of Music. The monochord, for Khanh, was not only a musical instrument, but also a soul mate, a gateway leading him to the world of traditional music.

Four years later, as a freshman, Khanh stood on his own two feet. He accepted to perform and participate in small shows to pay for his own tuition. “Back then, I just thought simply, as long as I could play music, I was happy. There were shows where people paid little, but I was still happy,” he said.

During those years of studying and performing, Khanh met a rapper brother. The relationship with hip hop came naturally, from the times they sat together and exchanged music. One time, when his brother was rapping, Khanh accidentally took out his monochord to try to harmonize with him, and discovered the unexpected harmony between two seemingly strange worlds: the monochord's tone and rap rhythm. At that moment, a new idea flashed: why not let the monochord "chat", go hand in hand with hip hop?

Not stopping at ideas, Khanh started to learn how to make beats (rhythms).

In 2010, Khanh released his first song combining the monochord, the two-stringed fiddle with rap music, titled “Day by Day”. This was the product that laid the foundation for the direction he has been steadfastly pursuing until now: connecting traditional instruments with modern music. Three years later, he continued to do more research on orchestration and harmonization between traditional and Western instruments. “Music for me is not a race of tastes. I just want to tell my own story and the stories of the people around me through melody”, he said.

Old soul in new music

After graduating, Khanh joined the Hue Opera and Drama Theater. In October 2020, he decided to leave his job to go to Ho Chi Minh City to pursue the career of a hip hop artist.

But in October 2022, Khanh returned to Hue and became an independent artist. He performed the monochord for the Ca Hue Chamber Music Club and collaborated on music arrangements for many other artists.

Among his notable products are Me Linh Chorus (artist Thanh Hang), Mot Chat Hue Thuong (Mai Le), Phong Suong by rapper Thai VG... Many of his products not only received a warm welcome from the audience but also won awards at domestic music competitions.

Besides performing Hue songs, Khanh also remixes folk songs, bringing the sound of the monochord into EDM (electronic dance music), hip hop. For him, traditional music is not something "kept in a glass cabinet", but a material that can live with the present. "Traditional music is a part of me. Once I understand and get used to it, combining it with other genres becomes very easy. The problem is to respect the roots, not losing its soul," Khanh said. He believes that combining is not only to create novelty, but also to help the younger generation get closer to traditional music. If we only talk about preservation, sometimes music will stand still. But when it lives, is integrated into a new flow, then its true value will spread.

In the future, Khanh plans to form a band in Hue, where traditional instruments such as the monochord, the two-stringed fiddle, the bamboo flute, etc. can harmonize with electric guitars, jazz drums, or keyboards. He calls it a multi-system band, where traditional and Western music do not oppose each other but complement, converse, and enrich each other. “Hue does not only have Hue songs,” he said. “Hue can also have jazz, hip-hop, and funk, as long as they still have the soul and rhythm of this land.”

It is not only a personal dream, but also a desire to help the public have a new perspective on the music of the Ancient Capital: dynamic, open and integrated, but still retaining its inherent profound spirit.

In his journey, Nguyen Luong Ngoc Khanh not only “preserves” traditional music but also renews, evolves and adapts it to contemporary life. He always believes that if artists lose their core values, they will easily fall into indifference. “The core value of an artist, for me, is music. I want music to live with the times, but still keep its soul. That is the only way for tradition to continue to resonate,” Khanh shared.

Amidst the modern pace of life, Khanh’s monochord still plays, sometimes soulful in Hue songs, sometimes bustling and intense in rap. In every space, listeners can still feel the ancient spirit touching today’s music, gently but deeply.

Pham Phuoc Chau

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/khi-dan-bau-gap-hiphop-159699.html